Tuesday, June 17, 2014

If you didn't already know, CONSPIRACY is the new multiplayer oriented, draft shenanigan, magic the gathering summer "we can't support planechase now that commander outsells it by miles" release.I can only imagine the arousal felt by the bean counters when some lucky and probably recently promoted scamp came up with mechanics that are fun, but only work in drafts, therefore encouraging people to buy more packs specifically to draft with. On the whole, drafting and playing with a multiplayer set is a metric shit-ton of fun. I had a blast each time it's happened. The set itself is a little bit disappointing when you look at the cards that you got afterwards, but you can't have a set with entirely bombs. Doesn't work like that. That said however there aren't really many standout cards for standard or modern and I don't really play vintage or legacy but if the internet is to be believed there's stifle which is as good a set as any to reprint it without it leaking into standard/modern and exploration but that's about it. Even a card that gets people super excited, Swords to plowshares has had a non-standard reprint in a duel deck not so long ago, so it's not quite the same effect (although it remains a very good card) players picked up their play set of StP at the same time they picked up their play set of Elspeth Knight-Errant. So how does the set play then? For me it's all about the politics and the negotiations. Summed up by this card.

Example of how I used this card. "Can you lend me one mana?" "To cast that rousing of souls I've just seen you draw from your PREVIOUS rousing of souls that I now know is the target for your double stroke that just gave you five 1/1 flyers?""Maybe""Hmm, that would be a problem, but I would like to draw two cards... The spirit tokens you create with it are not allowed to attack me.""Ooh, deal!"

"Tap spectral searchlight, choosing you.""Thanks"I would heartily recommend anyone with a regular group of friends that play magic, chip in for a box and draft the ever-loving crap out of this set. It's worth it just for the shenanigans and the conspiracy cards are absolutely worth it if you are looking to build a multiplayer cube of any kind.